28 BULLETIN 1257, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The census figures given above for both irrigation and drainage 
indicate in a general way the areas in enterprises in the census year 
that had not at that time been put to use to be as shown in Table 13. 
A small part of the areas reported is in the incomplete projects. 
Table 13. — Areas in irrigation and drainage enterprises in 1920 that were not 
in use. 
Acres. 
Excess of area in irrigation enterprises over area irrigated in 1919 . 
Excess in area in drainage enterprises over area improved land in drainage enterprises. 
Total 
16, 699, 105 
23, 755, 129 
40, 454, 234 
The increase in the area irrigated in the United States between 
1909 and 1919 was 4,758,431 acres. At this rate of increase the area 
in irrigation enterprises in 1920 in excess of that irrigated in 1919 
would take care of the increase for 35 years ; and the area to which 
enterprises were capable of supplying water in 1920 in excess of the 
area irrigated in 1919 would take care of the increase for more than 
14 years. Drainage was not included in any census prior to 1920, and 
it is not possible to determine the rate at which drained land has 
been put to use. While figures are not available for making such 
a definite statement regarding drainage as that made regarding irri- 
gation, general studies made in 1923 show a great many districts in 
which the drains have been dug where little or none of the land 
has been put to use. This study seems to justify the opinion that the 
land for which the main drains are already installed will provide 
for the normal rate of expansion in the area of drained land for as 
long a period as the existing irrigation enterprises will provide for 
expansion in that field. 
In either field, in a time of normal expansion, construction must 
be somewhat ahead of utilization, but the present margin is too wide. 
Assuming that the figures given for irrigation correctly represent 
the situation with regard to arid land, they mean that investments 
are made many years before the works built are put to use, and 
during that period are unproductive, and interest and upkeep pile 
up to such an extent as to cripple the investors, unless they are 
Government agencies with the public to absorb the losses. The ex- 
perience of the Federal Government in this regard has been shown 
in detail in the preceding pages. Such exact data for the experience 
of other agencies are not available, but, in general, they are the same. 
The report of the thirteenth census showed that substantially the 
same situation existed in 1910. 
No census prior to 1910 included data comparable to those given. 
It is believed, however, that the situation that existed in 1910 and 
1920 is normal; that is, that there is a tendency to overdevelop or 
rather to develop too long in advance of the effective demand for the 
land, and that this is the principal cause of the. almost universal 
financial failure of recent reclamation work. This tendency arises 
from the natural desire of every communit}^ to have its waste lands 
developed, and from the prevailing systems of financing the work. 
Under all the plans for reclaiming land on a large scale the money 
is to be obtained outside the community where the land is situated. 
